Obama/USA Dragging Feet on Global Issues

My good friend Gideon from Australia sent me this article from the Guardian UK via email.  The only words he included in the email were “Sad, but probably true.”

Some excerpts:

On the campaign trail, Barack Obama promised to reverse the Bush administration’s terrible ecological record. Yet so far the world has seen more symbolic gestures from the Obama administration than accomplishments. Its biggest achievement so far has been a disappointment. President Obama signed an executive order to increase US motor vehicle mileage standards – but only to a level that will push fuel efficiency by 2020 to a level that European and Japanese cars reached several years ago, and even China has already achieved.

and…

Europe has announced donations of $2bn to $15bn a year for the next decade to help developing nations cope with climate warming, yet the Obama administration has not offered anything close to that amount. Europe also wants binding, near-term targets for developed nations, proposing a 20% reduction from 1990 levels by 2020, or 30% if everyone agrees. The Bush administration of course rejected such targets – but now it looks like the Obama administration is not willing to go much further. It has said such targets should be voluntary but verifiable.

There is more on the dealing with the economic collapse/Wall Street and the inherent problems with the US political system.  Definitely, gave me some things to think about.  Give it a read.